Pool/Audio Automation (nodejs + tasker) | [Build Thread]

[TampaKathy]

Did the inspector look at rebar and plumbing? I wasn't sure if that's done at the same time.

Did you consider getting Primera Stone for just the spa? Other builds have done that so that it's smoother to sit on although I think they've mentioned that the colors wouldn't match perfectly.

What's your plan for adding water when needed, just do it manually (did I already ask this, lol)?

That makes sense about waiting to get the robot. I'm going against what seems to be the majority opinion on TFP and I'm getting the infloor cleaning (although I am having regular returns plumbed as backup).

Are you putting lounge chairs on your sunshelf?

 

[ajw22]

5) Getting the robot myself, let me know if you see any good deals. Only reason I haven't bought it yet is I want to be able to confirm its operation vs it having an issue and me not knowing until after the return period. I guess I could buy one and take it to my parents pool nearby. Think I might do that - let me know if you have a good supplier.

Call... Margaret Mills
Marina Pool, Spa & Patio
7777 West Jewell Avenue
Lakewood, Colorado 80232
303-985-0077

They can't do internet sales, but they can do phone sales.. Ask her what the best robot is for you.

 

[matthewsunshineflorida]

I called a few times throughout the day today and couldn't get ahold of her but I read a bunch of stuff and actually got sold on the Dolphin Sigma. Supposedly is a worthwhile step up from the S200 style, and poolbots had a $150 off sale bringing the total with a caddy to $1218 after shipping/taxes vs $1300 on Amazon plus the $150 caddy. I'll throw it in my dad's pool and make sure it works reliably. They have a 100% refund policy so I figured it would be worth the $450+ vs the S200 to also come with a caddy. I want this pool to be lowww maintenance so hoping for the best *fingers crossed*.

Inspector looked at rebar and plumbing but so far all that's done in plumbing are the main drains, water features, spa jets. There are several inspections on the list so I believe he's coming back shortly after the gunite and/or plumbing.

I considered Primera Stone but the reason I didn't go for it was three fold: 1) I really just don't think it looks as good to take off so much of the aggregate which is the beautiful part of the finish and exposes more of the plaster which could make mottling more obvious, 2) My understanding of the chemistry is the aggregate (stone) is what is most resistant to the chemicals whereas the plaster is still vulnerable so the more aggregate you have exposed to the water vs the plaster the longer it will last and the stronger it will be. This is also how concrete is made strong - different sizes of rocks that prevent weak points from breaking under stress and makes the gaps between the rocks smaller which is what the Signature Matrix is. 3) On top of those things, it's significantly more expensive so I feel like we lose out on all 3 with the only advantage being a less bumpy texture. It will never be soft like fiberglass as the primera still felt like sandpaper so it seems like we might as well keep the longevity and beauty and I can always sand down the edges of the bench if there are any particularly pointy edges.

Planning on putting lounge chairs - the Ledge Lounger chairs will fit perfectly on the sunself but they're so expensive to not even have cup holders or adjustable backs. I want it to look good but also be practical - where is my drink going to go lol I guess I could put a table in the umbrella sleeve... keeping my options open here so let me know if you have any recommendations.

Just adding water through our hose(s). I have a water meter so I'll record the exact number of gallons it takes.

 

[TampaKathy]

I'm planning on getting the ledge lounger chaise (not sure if I'll get the regular or the deep version). I may get the ledge lounger table that has an umbrella sleeve to put drinks on. I meant what are you going to do about adding water as it evaporates...it looks like you aren't getting an autofill (which some people in FL say isn't necessary but I don't trust myself to check the water level all the time).

 

[Sollace]

Looks really good! Nice to see progress and hope you get your gunite soon. This really is a perfect time for a pool build, at least I think so.

Yes, the steps will be formed from the cement / gunite. That's what they did on my steps -- From a ramp of packed dirt overlaid with rebar. Yes, I worried! Here's a picture of the same tile as yours - Well, the same tile series (Isola - Master Tile). You have subway and I have 6" and 2" plain Jane.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

OMG... The Warrior is only $699......for your pool that seriously is all you need. If you've got extra green burning a hole in your wallet my address is......<big cow eyes> Momma needs new shoes too.....

 

[matthewsunshineflorida]

I'm planning on getting the ledge lounger chaise (not sure if I'll get the regular or the deep version). I may get the ledge lounger table that has an umbrella sleeve to put drinks on. I meant what are you going to do about adding water as it evaporates...it looks like you aren't getting an autofill (which some people in FL say isn't necessary but I don't trust myself to check the water level all the time).

That's a great idea - I hadn't actually seen that before! Just saw they have a bunch of tables that clip onto umbrellas on Amazon for pretty cheap too. I hadn't really looked into this much yet - thanks! It's just that I'd like to buy the $100 of plastic in ledge loungers for less than the $1,363.96 I'm seeing for 2 from Pool Warehouse.... let me know if you see other great options, I know the Adirondack Chairs work for some people and even have cup holders with armrests lol but I'm not sure if they're deep enough and comfy?

Looks really good! Nice to see progress and hope you get your gunite soon. This really is a perfect time for a pool build, at least I think so.

Yes, the steps will be formed from the cement / gunite. That's what they did on my steps -- From a ramp of packed dirt overlaid with rebar. Yes, I worried! Here's a picture of the same tile as yours - Well, the same tile series (Isola - Master Tile). You have subway and I have 6" and 2" plain Jane.

I definitely love that tile, your project is turning out fantastic! Encouraging to see something similar turn out so nicely. Please keep me updated!!

OMG... The Warrior is only $699......for your pool that seriously is all you need. If you've got extra green burning a hole in your wallet my address is......<big cow eyes> Momma needs new shoes too.....

Lol you have helped me so much in all your posts that I probably do owe you something My main thing is the Warrior/S200/Active S20 is still the original software from years ago and reading the updates on the Sigma seem significant. My parents have an old robot house vacuum that roams aimlessly bumping into stuff, getting stuck, and missing huge areas. On the other hand, when I ponied up for a higher end Neato with lidar - it has completely eliminated manual vacuuming except behind doors and toilets and just runs whenever we leave. So what sold me on the Sigma is the extra suction/motors and seemingly better software for cleaning stairs/sunshelf/waterline that clean systematically instead of randomly - along with the 3 year vs 2 year warranty. Frankly, this is just over a 6 figure project for us when it's all said and done which is already a fiscally nonsensical terrible ROI expense haha so at this point, if spending another $500 results in me not having to brush those areas every week, I'm all for it... but you might be totally right and the Warrior would have done just as well? The Sigma for $1200 with a caddy after tax/shipping seems like the best price it's been anywhere and I love new tech so I felt like trying it. I'll let you all know how it goes!

You guys are awesome. Waiting for the gunite appointment and will keep you posted!

 

[TampaKathy]

Amazon.com: SwimWays Terra Sol Sonoma Chaise Lounge - White: Garden & Outdoor
These are a LOT cheaper (but they may be too big for your shelf). They are designed to float but you can drill a hole into them and fill them with water so they stay in place.

 

[JayRi]

Man this is gonna be a nice project. We just finished ours. There are a few things that need to be touched up but we did get to swim a few times before the "Florida winter." Hope you have a smooth build, we had a bunch of ups and downs.

 

[matthewsunshineflorida]

Gunite went on today - turned out great. Let me know if you guys have any recommendations - I plan to spray it tomorrow and maybe every 12 hours? 24 hours? Haven't been able to check measurements because everything is so wet and I don't have a second hand but it was accurate with the rebar guestimating gunite and I saw the guys with tape measures all over the place so I think we're probably good. CLICK HERE for today's photos and here's one of the final:


Also, I got the Dolphin Sigma in a couple days ago and tested it out on my dad's neglected pool. We had some rain this weekend which brought a bunch of dirt, sand, and leaves into the pool - and he had algae growing in spots his vacuum doesn't get (he hasn't manually brushed it in a while) as well as on the waterline. I was expecting it to get most things and maybe run a few cycles to have it mostly cleared up, but I was pretty surprised to return to find the pool completely clear of every single leaf and all visible dirt/sand and almost all algae had been scrubbed off. The filters were extremely easy to clean and had easily over 10x more capacity than was needed for the pretty dirty clean. Again, I have no frame of reference to the Warrior/S200 that many people here have - but I will say it was really impressive how well it stuck to the walls/stairs/benches when cleaning. It never fell back or floated and seemed to know if it was losing grip or needed to turn one side's wheels to get up a steep ledge or stair while keeping the brushes against the side. Other than our stairs and the crevices where the various edges meet which are probably too small for it to traverse - I feel pretty confident this thing will keep the pool exceptionally clean. Who knows if it was worth the extra - I guess I'd need to test them. I just liked that this was just updated hardware/software last year and seems to have some useful improvements.

Amazon.com: SwimWays Terra Sol Sonoma Chaise Lounge - White: Garden & Outdoor
These are a LOT cheaper (but they may be too big for your shelf). They are designed to float but you can drill a hole into them and fill them with water so they stay in place.

Something like this is a lot more reasonable - though I think we need chairs instead of ones that lay fully back. Will be looking around - I'm sure I could fill them with water or even a little portland cement to keep them down. Our sunshelf is about a foot deep so it wouldn't surprise me if I have to weigh down whatever we get to keep it steady. I'm wondering how the bubbler will act in such deep water since I've read they're generally supposed to be in under 9" but we do have a 3hp pump for just the waterfall and the bubbler so I'm thinking we can get it really moving if we want to.

Man this is gonna be a nice project. We just finished ours. There are a few things that need to be touched up but we did get to swim a few times before the "Florida winter." Hope you have a smooth build, we had a bunch of ups and downs.

Looking forward to seeing your updates on your post! Keep the pics coming, this is idea time for us to finalize how we're going to do everything so I'm all ears. Also definitely let me know if you have any suggestions for our sanity as this process goes along. So far not too bad other than several days of "tomorrow" for the gunite before it finally happened here - had unexpected rain twice and then I guess the third time they had to go back to finish a shoot that got rained out. Irritating, but we just finished rebar exactly one week ago so I guess it's not bad.

 

[ajw22]

Watering New Gunite and Concrete - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Watering a Pool Shell
A pool shell (that will be plastered) and surrounds that will be finished with stone or other material, can't be hurt by walking on it the next day. Do not walk down steps or ledges on the same day it was put in as the pressure of having all of your weight on one foot could cause an imprint.

Gunite/shotcrete is applied much drier than poured concrete. You can literally walk on it with in a few hours of it being applied. The drier application also gives it much better compressive strength than poured concrete for otherwise the same mix. That makes it a little more critical on the watering for the first few days.

You can place sprinklers in the gunite shell and let it run for an hour or more a few times a day. You can get timers to help out with this.

How to Water
As soon as the concrete is set enough to walk on (which with shotcrete, that's quick...) you can start watering it. Do it several times a day 3-4 times or more. If it starts to rain you don't need to add to that. If you are unsure start early the morning of the day after it is poured.[2]

Avoid shooting a jet stream of water at the concrete at first. It won't matter by the second day after finishing, but contractors don't know how well their customers absorb instructions, so they perhaps find it safer to just say 1.5 days.

How long to Water Concrete?
The most critical time is in the first 3-4 days. There really isn't a great reason to go more than 14 days with this process.

The benefit of keeping concrete from drying too quickly mostly happens at the surface and in the early stages of curing. After the first few days the surface has settled in, and the rest of the curing is going on deeper, and misting has little to no effect. Misting for longer doesn't hurt anything, and can give you something to do while you're anxiously waiting for the next steps

 

[JayRi]

Gunite went on today - turned out great. Let me know if you guys have any recommendations - I plan to spray it tomorrow and maybe every 12 hours? 24 hours? Haven't been able to check measurements because everything is so wet and I don't have a second hand but it was accurate with the rebar guestimating gunite and I saw the guys with tape measures all over the place so I think we're probably good. CLICK HERE for today's photos and here's one of the final:


Also, I got the Dolphin Sigma in a couple days ago and tested it out on my dad's neglected pool. We had some rain this weekend which brought a bunch of dirt, sand, and leaves into the pool - and he had algae growing in spots his vacuum doesn't get (he hasn't manually brushed it in a while) as well as on the waterline. I was expecting it to get most things and maybe run a few cycles to have it mostly cleared up, but I was pretty surprised to return to find the pool completely clear of every single leaf and all visible dirt/sand and almost all algae had been scrubbed off. The filters were extremely easy to clean and had easily over 10x more capacity than was needed for the pretty dirty clean. Again, I have no frame of reference to the Warrior/S200 that many people here have - but I will say it was really impressive how well it stuck to the walls/stairs/benches when cleaning. It never fell back or floated and seemed to know if it was losing grip or needed to turn one side's wheels to get up a steep ledge or stair while keeping the brushes against the side. Other than our stairs and the crevices where the various edges meet which are probably too small for it to traverse - I feel pretty confident this thing will keep the pool exceptionally clean. Who knows if it was worth the extra - I guess I'd need to test them. I just liked that this was just updated hardware/software last year and seems to have some useful improvements.



Something like this is a lot more reasonable - though I think we need chairs instead of ones that lay fully back. Will be looking around - I'm sure I could fill them with water or even a little portland cement to keep them down. Our sunshelf is about a foot deep so it wouldn't surprise me if I have to weigh down whatever we get to keep it steady. I'm wondering how the bubbler will act in such deep water since I've read they're generally supposed to be in under 9" but we do have a 3hp pump for just the waterfall and the bubbler so I'm thinking we can get it really moving if we want to.


Looking forward to seeing your updates on your post! Keep the pics coming, this is idea time for us to finalize how we're going to do everything so I'm all ears. Also definitely let me know if you have any suggestions for our sanity as this process goes along. So far not too bad other than several days of "tomorrow" for the gunite before it finally happened here - had unexpected rain twice and then I guess the third time they had to go back to finish a shoot that got rained out. Irritating, but we just finished rebar exactly one week ago so I guess it's not bad.

Maybe someone with experience can chime in. I was in my local pool store asking about pool robots. They recommended I don’t run a pool robot for the first 90 days as it can leave marks on the Pebblesheen.

 

[matthewsunshineflorida]

Maybe someone with experience can chime in. I was in my local pool store asking about pool robots. They recommended I don’t run a pool robot for the first 90 days as it can leave marks on the Pebblesheen.

Good to know - I only ran it on my dad's pool to test it and did not plan on putting it in mine until at least the month of daily brushing they recommend (haven't heard 90 days but I'm all ears if that's the number). I can't find any info about this on google - it seems odd to me that after the month you'd be able to swim and push 200lbs off the ground but a 15lb robot would tear it up? But hey, after everything I've done to try to plan and make this thing perfect, I'll brush the pebbletec with a toothbrush 3x a day for all 90 days if that's what they recommend lol I want this money sucker to be problem free for a longg time! I'll try to think of it as a free home workout. Triceps every single day. That won't get old or anything

Update: PebbleTec says "do not use automated cleaners that have wheels for 28 days" - and that "brushing should continue until all cement dust residue is gone." So maybe I'll see how it looks after a month and a half or two of daily brushing. Should I get a manual vacuum with some kind of brush head at the end of it to help make sure all the dust gets well taken care of or is sweeping it toward the drain good enough?

https://mmgtx.com/docs/PTI-Start-Up-Maintenance-Procedures-Chlorine.pdf

 

[YippeeSkippy]

We normally recommend 30 days before the robot goes in.

 

[ajw22]

Maybe someone with experience can chime in. I was in my local pool store asking about pool robots. They recommended I don’t run a pool robot for the first 90 days as it can leave marks on the Pebblesheen.

Why no wheeled cleaner for first 30 days? Plaster is sufficiently hard once the pool is full of water. Pool cleaners can be installed and utilized after about two days if there is no plaster dust forming. The reason that tracks develop is usually from plaster dust being "packed down" by the pool cleaner wheels and then not removed by brushing. So it can look like an "indention" (and discolored) but it is not an indention. Brushing afterwards can help prevent the plaster dust from sticking on the plaster.

 

[matthewsunshineflorida]

Have you guys ever had a K9 unit sent to inspect the pool?
Seems a bit excessive to me, but looked like a very thorough sniffing of all materials so I think we passed.


In all seriousness, I do have a few questions:

1. There are little chunks of gunite that have piled up in various spots. They are slightly stuck to the surface but can be broken loose relatively easily. As I'm watering this, I'm afraid they will adhere too much and cause an issue. Should I go around with an angle grinder, drill brush, or even just a paint scraper and scrape all this up and vacuum it throughout the pool/spa?
   
   
   
2. The pool drains have their bottom opening unplugged which has allowed the water to drain straight into the ground without an issue, but the spa is quickly filling up with water as I've watered it (5x yesterday and 3x with sprinklers overnight so about every 3 hours consistently). Should I pump this out? Should I see if the spa drain is just clogged with some gunite and I can try to remove it to see if it will drain?
   Pool Drains:
   
   
   Spa Filling and Drain
   
   
   
3. Last question - water looks kinda green and we're on county water so I wonder how bad it is for the pool. Should I get a test kit and test my tap water to get an idea of what to expect when we fill the pool? Should I look at trucking in ideal water (is that a thing), or should I just test and post the results so you guys can give me an idea of what to expect - or will their month start up pretty much get me close and I will just make adjustments from there? I have pool school on my to do list.

I've been diligent about watering my pool to grow big and strong one day, feel free to let me know if there's anything else I can do in terms of maintenance, prep, or just generally reviewing the work done so far to make sure everything looks solid. Our pup says thanks for your help...

 

[ajw22]

Your gunite is fine. The imperfections will be smoothed out under the coat of plaster.

The "pool drain" is a hydrostatic opening to prevent ground water from popping out your pool shell. The "spa drain" is your spa suction line which is not operational yet. Leave it alone.

The PB can pump out any water in the spa when it is time to plaster.

 

[Sollace]

We had leaves blow into our gunite and they're still there in the bottom of our pool. I was told when the come to plaster, the crews will clean out the gunite. Despite telling my hubby all that, he was out there today pumping out rain water and sweeping. He's been spending more time with the pool build than putting up Christmas lights. !!

 

[matthewsunshineflorida]

We had leaves blow into our gunite and they're still there in the bottom of our pool. I was told when the come to plaster, the crews will clean out the gunite. Despite telling my hubby all that, he was out there today pumping out rain water and sweeping. He's been spending more time with the pool build than putting up Christmas lights. !!

I begrudgingly admit to ending up spending several hours chipping out any of the "loose" gunite chunks, vacuuming them all out, clearing the spa water - and watering it every 2-3 hours all day with sprinklers at night. I figured if the gunite pieces have little air pockets and are relatively easy to knock off, if they're going to just plaster over it, those are going to be weak spots in the finish and I'd rather have everything as perfect as I can within my control.

However, wife made sure I did the Christmas lights December 1st

 

[Sollace]

You've been busy and your lights look great, too! We waited on the outdoor lights, then the rain and cold. And hubby has a thing about not lights up before Thanksgiving. Anyway, glad we are here this holiday and able to keep an eye on the pool build.